|
Auglaize Soil and Water Conservation District |
|
|
|
Currently there are many conservation government programs available to the landowners in Auglaize County and some funds are starting to diminish quickly. These programs are based on voluntary participation by the landowner. One of the programs available to area landowners is the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Participants remove land from agricultural production for a period of approximately 15-30 years. The land is then seeded with native grasses, tree seedlings or other vegetation. Enrollment for this program is on a continuous basis. The land must have been cropped 2 out of the last 5 years. Some marginal pastureland may also be eligible for enrollment. The cropland must also be a portion of the Lake Erie watershed, which includes most of Auglaize County. There are several different types of payments available to CREP participants. There is a signing and practice incentive payment and an annual rental payment is available. Cost-share and technical assistance is also available through the local conservation district. The goal of this program is to reduce sediment and chemical run-off that is entering ditches, streams and rivers. Aquatic and upland areas are improved while farming operations can continue to produce quality crops. Most qualifying areas are adjacent to rivers and streams. Fields can be straightened out and the field nooks may be eligible to enroll as part of the CREP program. As part of CREP, grass filter strips can also be enrolled for a minimum of 20 feet to a maximum of 120 feet in upland soils and in alluvial (floodplain) soils filter strips can be up to 300 feet wide. CREP participants can also receive payment on wildlife habitats, wetland restoration areas, field windbreaks (up to 97 feet wide), riparian tree buffers (up to 300 feet wide) and tree plantings (up to 300 feet wide). Tree and shrub species can be picked from a list that includes many popular and potentially valuable varieties. The Wapakoneta FFA is available to help with the installation of tree seedlings. Landowners may choose to plant the seedlings themselves or students from the FFA chapter can plant them for a very reasonable price with the tree planter that they built. The Wapakoneta FFA students have been helping to assist CREP participant landowners for the past few years to complete the tree seedling plantings. These practices are relatively easy to maintain and are a great way to receive money especially if the cropland is directly along a tree-lined watercourse where shading prevents crops from producing adequate yields. Individuals interested in the Lake Erie CREP should contact the local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) or the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Additional and more specific information is also available on the NRCS website at www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov
Shows the grass as planted the spring/summer before the trees are planted.
Straight rows (atleast in windbreaks) are marked and strips are sprayed in the late fall.
Tree seedlings are then planted in April in the strips that had been sprayed in the fall.
Tree seedlings being planted in the trench.
Tree seedlings being planted in the trench.
Each tree is stomped in directly behind the tree planter to help push the air out and keep the moisture around the root systems.
Picture is of the whole planting process with the students driving, planting and stomping.
|
|
|
